


One Night Forever

by BadWolfRose (BadWolf1988)



Category: NCIS
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff and Smut, May/December Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-09-21 02:24:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17034716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf1988/pseuds/BadWolfRose
Summary: What do you get when you take a bored TV actress with a fast ticking biological clock and mix her in with an older, jaded NCIS agent? This story. That's what you get.





	1. Lia

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: My closet connection to NCIS is the fact that my husband is a former Marine. And trust me, he didn't own the Marines, the Marines owned him. NCIS belongs to CBS Television and Donald P. Bellisario.

“What do you mean production's moving?” Ophelia 'Lia' Ryan eyed the producer in front her wearily.

“Lia, we're bringing the show back after over ten years off the air. The network doesn't want to sink too much money into it until we can prove we can pull in ratings like we used to.” Aidan Abner, the co-executive producer of Lia's show, 'Kutte Out for Family', explained. “It costs too much to produce in LA or New York. D.C.'s offering huge tax incentives to production companies to film there. Tourism is down with Trump in office and they want to lure more than Republicans and protesters to the district.”

“D.C.?” Lia groaned. “That is way too close to my hometown for comfort.”

You seem Lia had been a television actress since roughly the age of six when she had been cast as Angel Rogers on the original run of 'Kutte Out for Family'. The show was about a biker couple, Tank and Pinky, raising their three kids, Rivet, Widow, and Lia's character, Angel. A show along the same lines as  _Roseanne_ , with parents who struggled to keep the family finances afloat and kids who weren't always perfectly behaved angels, was an instant hit with late 90's viewers and enjoyed a full decade-long run, ending shortly before Lia turned seventeen. Sadly, this meant that Lia had to move back home to Norfolk, Virginia with her mother. A failed actress, Lydia James was a true stage mom, pushing Lia into the spotlight at every turn. Hell, if it hadn't have been for her TV mom, Amelia Carter, she wouldn't have had a childhood at all. Amelia used to take Lia on outings with her and her own children as often as she could. She also made sure that the 'Kutte Out for Family' set was a kid-friendly environment. It was Amelia who helped her completely break ties with her mom when she turned eighteen. Amelia had offered her a room in her home in LA while Lia took a step back from acting and attended UCLA.

Now Lia was just shy of thirty with a Masters degree in film and an impressive resume as a Hollywood producer. It had been Lia's idea to bring 'Kutte Out for Family' back to the airwaves. With other 90's sitcoms such as ' _Full House_ ', _'Roseanne'_ , and ' _Will and Grace_ ' successfully returning to television, Lia thought that it was a good time to introduce a new generation of viewers to the Rogers family. With the success of newer biker shows like ' _Sons of Anarchy'_ , bikers and characters with real flaws were in vogue and they needed to strike while the iron was still hot.

“I'm sure if the ratings are good for the first season CBS will let us move production to an LA soundstage. But, for now, we either move to DC or CBS cancels the season order,” Aiden broke the bad news.

“They cancel the season order, they cancel the show,” Lia stomped her foot. “Urgh! Fine! Where exactly are we moving to?” It looked like she now had to start house hunting and packing on top of everything else she had going on as co-executive producer of the show. She mentally tallied up the number of Redbulls in her fridge because wasn't going to be getting any sleep for a while. She could only remember seeing six. She now also had to make a stop by Whole Foods on her way home. Wonderful.

“The Navy has some old, unused warehouse in the Washington Navy Yard that have been converted into film studios to help und the Navy and Marine Corps. We'll have to install seating for the studio audience but I found some money in our budget to cover it.

Lia laughed in disbelief. “A Navy yard? Are you kidding me? What, did we personally offend the president of CBS in some way? This is a joke. We were CBS' top-rated show for a freakin' decade and the buzz about our return is huge. We even got Charlie Hunnam and Kim Coates to guest star in episode thirteen. I'm supposed to call Jax Teller and Tig Trager and tell them we're filing at a navy yard in DC? Kim is almost as crazy as Tig in real life!”

Aiden shrugged. “Take it or leave it, kid.”


	2. Gibbs

Gibbs was getting pissed. He had been waiting on his cup of coffee for over twenty minutes. Ever since the Navy yard had converted a few old warehouses into film studios, his favorite coffee shop near the yard was always packed in the mornings.

“Oh, come on,” he heard a frustrated voice mumble from behind him.

Gibbs turned and found a pretty woman with platinum blonde hair and brown eyes leaning against the counter beside him. She was alternately flipping through a bound stack of papers and checking the time on her smartphone. “This place is always packed since those Hollywood flakes moved to town,” he decided to strike up a conversation. “Gibbs,” he held out his hand to her.

The woman smirked and shook his hand. “Lia...one of those Hollywood flakes.”

Oops. “That accent doesn't sound very Hollywood.” He tried to backpedal away from his insult and commented on the southern twang to her voice.

Lia laughed. “I'm from Norfolk originally...nice deflection by the way.”

“Local girl made it to Hollywood. Impressive.” Okay, now he was flirting. Lia couldn't be but in her late twenties or early thirties but was drop dead gorgeous...and she obviously had a sense of humor because she hadn't slapped him yet.

“You could say that,” Lia nodded. “You work at NCIS?” she gestured to the badge that was visible on her belt buckle. “One of your agents is at almost every one of my show's tapings. He's come to a few after show meet and greets as well. He has a real Italian name.”

“DiNozzo,” Gibbs supplied. That bit of information in no way surprised him. Of course Tony took advantage of a TV show filming at the Navy yard to indulge his love of all things Hollywood. “Yeah, I work for NCIS. I'm his boss.”

“He's very flirty,” Lia commented as she stuffed what Gibbs now suspected was a scrip into her jean shoulder bag.

That was also not a surprise. What was a surprise was the tiny bit of irrational anger and jealousy that briefly surged through him at the thought of DiNozzo flirting with a woman that he had known for all of five minutes. “That he is. It's a bit of a character flaw. What do you do on your show? You a writer or something?” She seemed way too down to earth to be anyone famous. Not that he would know even if she was. The last sitcom he had paid attention to was _Mork & Mindy_.

Lia laughed. “I'm a cast member and executive producer.”

There was another surprise. Didn't actresses nowadays always travel with a bodyguard, photographers, and a little dog in tow? “Wow. I would not have guessed that. You seem way too sweet to be a celebrity.”

“I'm more of a recognizable face than a celebrity,” Lia blushed and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

The way she downplayed her job was cute and Gibbs found himself blurting out, “I know this might seem kind of forward but do you want to exchange numbers? Maybe go out for a drink later?”

Lia blushed a bit more but smiled and nodded before the two exchanged numbers.

“I usually get off at six. Can I give you a call then?” Gibbs put his phone back into his coat pocket.

“Yeah, we finish rehearsals at five,” Lia nodded.

“Come on, LiLi. We gotta wrap up rehearsals today so we can shoot my scenes tomorrow. Badass biker this week, next week a goon who gets killed by Bruce Willis in one punch” A curly haired man around Gibbs age breezed past them carrying two cups of coffee.

Lia laughed. “That was Kim. He is definitely one of those Hollywood flakes.”


	3. Gibbs

“Hey, DiNozzo,” Gibbs got the younger man's attention as soon as he stepped off the elevator.

“What's up, boss?” DiNozzo walked to stand next to his desk.

“What TV show films over in the old warehouses?”

“Kutte Out For Family,” DiNozzo immediately answered. “Why?”

“I met an actress from the show while getting coffee this morning. Lia...something.” He wanted to slap himself upside the head. He had gotten Lia's phone number but not her last name. Real classy.

“Lia Ryan?” DiNozzo's eyebrows shot up and he leaned over to the type the name in the google search engine on Gibbs' computer and clicked on a Wikipedia page.

Putting on his glasses, Gibbs looked at the picture next on the side of the web page, above Lia's vital information. “Yeah, that's her.”

“Damn, you're lucky boss,” DiNozzo shook his head.

“Don't you have work to do?” That irrational anger was back and he glared at the agent, who quickly walked over to his over desk, giving his boss a strange look.

Once DiNozzo was gone, Gibbs turned to read the entry.

_*** Ophelia “Lia” (pronounced Leah) Celeste Ryan is an American actress and television producer. She is best known for her role as youngest daughter, Angel Rogers, on the long-running CBS sitcom, Kutte Out For Family (1995 – 2005, 2018 – present) as well as being the producer behind the hit superhero dramas, Dare City and Yellow Phoenix. ***_

Even though he knew that it wasn't fair given that Lia couldn't research him in the same way, he couldn't stop himself from clicking on the tab labeled 'Personal Life.'

_*** Lia Ryan was born on December 5, 1988, in Norfolk, Virginia to Lydia Ryan and an unidentified father. A child beauty queen, Ryan was cast as younger daughter, Angel Rogers, on the American situation comedy, Kutte Out For Family when she was just 6-years-old._

_Ryan became estranged from her mother at the age of eighteen when she took a hiatus from Hollywood to attend college much to her mother's disapproval. While Ryan is notoriously private about her personal life, Lydia Ryan has given numerous press interviews about the mother and daughter's strained relationship._

_Ryan was in a relationship with American pop singer, Easton Ezra from 2004 until 2008 when photographs leaked to American tabloids of Ezra cheating on Ryan with his now wife, Makayla Lincon-Ezra, a former Victoria's Secret fashion model. ***_

Gibbs closed the webpage. On top of feeling sorry for the beautiful woman he had met that day, he was also feeling like he had just severely invaded her privacy.

The google search results were still up and he noticed a video result entitled, Kutte Out For Family's TV Return Draws Huge Laughs. Curious, he pressed play.

***** Lia was seated at a kitchen table with an older woman. Both were made up to look like biker old ladies. Tight clothes, perfect makeup, long, painted fingernails and tattoos that looked so real, Gibbs would have thought they were if he hadn't have seen Lia's bare arms just that morning.**

**“Have you talked to Daddy about giving up riding? The doctors say he needs to or he'll need a new hip.” Lia's character, Angel, took a sip from her coffee mug.**

**“No,” the older woman shook her head. “I asked your brother to do it. You know I'm the only one in this family who knows how to plan a decent funeral.”**

**'Angel' shook her head. “I'm gonna miss Rivet.”**

The scene changed. Now 'Angel' was seated on a couch reading a book when a little boy, who slightly resembled her, walked in and sat down beside her.

**“Why aren't you at school, Levi?” 'Angel' lowered her book.**

**“Why aren't you at work?” The kid shot back with perfect timing, picking up a comic book and starting to read.**

**“Because I'm off on Tues – wait a minute, I'm the mom, you're the kid. Go to school!” *****

The final clip in the video had Gibbs forcing himself to think about baseball.

***** Lia was wearing short, cut-off jean shorts and a black bikini top and was covered in sweat sitting on the couch in front of a fan that sat on the coffee table in front of her.**

**“Why's it so hot in here?” The character of Widow asked, entering the house.**

**“We're trying to get acclimated to the temperature in Hell,” 'Angel' replied.**

**“Lord knows this family has a downstairs EZ Pass,” 'Widow' replied with a chuckle. “A/C finally bite the dust?”**

**'Angel' shook her head. “Nope, I was just curious what a heat stroke felt like.” *****

Gibbs closed the video and search results. He was not going to get any work done if he kept thinking about Lia. She could wait until he was off the clock.


	4. Lia/Gibbs

Lia had just gotten out of the shower and was in the process of getting dressed when he cell phone started ringing. Forgetting about her t-shirt, she took a seat on the edge of her bed in nothing but jeans and a bra and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

“Hey there, sweetheart.” The voice was easily recognizable as belonging to the handsome older man that she had met that morning while her and Kim were picking up coffee before rehearsals.

“Hey, Gibbs. You know, I never got your whole name.”

“Leroy Jethro Gibbs but I prefer Gibbs or my middle name.”

Wow. What had he done to piss off his parents, she wondered. “Ophelia Ryan,” she had a feeling that he had no clue who she was. It was one of the reasons she liked him. “Apparently we both did something very bad in a previous life.”

He laughed huskily. “Yeah, DiNozzo told me who you were when I got into work this morning. “Can't say I've ever seen your show, only a few clips this morning. Not much of a TV person.” He was just making himself sound more perfect and he didn't even know it. “I was wondering if you still wanted to get that drink, sweetheart?”

“I'd love to. Is there anyplace around here that's small, out of the way? I tend to get recognized more in a crowd.” She didn't want to spend half the night signing autographs. Lia hadn't been this attracted to a man since, well...ever, actually.

“How about my place?”

“Sure.” Why the hell was she agreeing to meet a strange man, alone, at his house? She knew better than that.

“What's your address, sweetheart? I'll come pick you up.”

Lia proceeded to give her home address to the man that she didn't know from Adam. McGruff the Crime Dog would be so ashamed of her. She was behaving like the cautionary tale in every after-school special that she had been forced to endure watching as a child. And even if you took away the stranger danger aspect, she was still a public figure, a B-rated television actress. If she wanted to keep her private life private, Lia knew that she had to be way more careful than this.

“I'll be there to get you in about half an hour.”

“I'll be waiting.” And praying like hell she wasn't about to get murdered.

***

The summer sun had just set as Gibbs pulled his Dodge Charger into the driveway of a surprisingly modest house in the Georgetown area. He was still surprised at how quickly Lia had agreed to join him for drinks at his place but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

When Lia opened the door for him she was wearing jeans a t-shirt with Tim McGraw on the front of it. She looked like your average (very beautiful), down to earth country girl. Even though he had seen proof of the fact with his own eyes it was still hard for him to believe that she was a celebrity. She was too...normal.

“You ready to go?” Gibbs leaned in and kissed her cheek. The glow of the porch light allowed him to see the pretty blush that colored her cheeks.

“Yep.” Lia grabbed her purse and locked up the house before allowing him to wrap his arm around her waist and lead her to his car.

The fifteen-minute drive to his house was spent making pleasant but safe small talk. “Now that I'm complaining, sweetheart, but what made you agree to this? You have to have men hitting on you left and right.” Gibbs apparently decided that safe talk was boring.

“Honestly? You're not hard on the eyes and you didn't know who I was until after we met. That's a rare combination that I'm not used to,” she answered as he pulled off the highway. “You struck up a conversation with me because you were attracted to me as a woman, not me as a celebrity. Why wouldn't I want to explore that?”

Gibbs reached over and took her hand as he turned on the road that would eventually lead to his neighborhood. “You know I'm almost fifty, right sweetheart?” He gave her hand a little squeeze to let her know that the age difference didn't matter to him. “I gotta be close to twenty years older than you.”

Lia chuckled and pleasantly surprised him by squeezing his hand in return. “Actually, you're exactly twenty years older than me. And you're talking about our age difference like this is more than two people having drinks.”

Gibbs wasn't an idiot. He knew that she was baiting him and he let her. He had no problem with making his intentions clear. “I was hoping that if all went well tonight, we could try being a little bit more than friends.”

“I was hoping for the exact same thing.” Lia smiled sweetly at him.


	5. Lia

Lia was very surprised when they arrived at his house and Gibbs led her down to the basement. For a hot second, her thoughts had drifted back to the idea of her being a murder victim. Then she noticed the half-finished sailboat and his bottle of whiskey sitting on the workbench. The basement was obviously his man cave, the place he spent most of his time when he was home. He was allowing her entry to his private sanctuary.

She hadn't complained when he had poured her a helping of whiskey in a mason har that had previously housed carpenters nails. Instead, she had hopped up to sit on the workbench before gratefully accepting the gla – jar. “You a sailor, Jethro?” She started the conversation and nodded at the boat.

“More of a carpenter than a sailor but I'm adequate when I'm on the water.” He moved to lean against the bench beside where her legs were dangling. “You like the water, sweetheart?”

Lia smiled and nodded. “My TV mom, Amelia, her and her husband, Ross, used to take me out on their boat with them and their three kids. We'd sail around Catalina Island. Ross made sure to always include me when he was giving his boys sailing lessons. Some of the best memories from my childhood happened out on that boat.” She noticed the look of pity that crossed Gibbs' face for a split second before he masked it. “I'm guessing from the pitying look that you know I'm estranged from my mom and have no idea who the hell my father is. Let's save some time. You tell me what you know or think you know about me.” Might as well put it all on the table now.

“You don't speak to your mom, your college educated, your ex cheated on you, you're from Norfolk, and, honestly, I didn't know that you didn't know who your father is. I just thought the press hadn't figured out his name.” He brought his jar to his lips and took a sip when he was done speaking.

Wow. Pure, relaxed honesty. How many bonus points could a man score with her in one night? He wasn't done scoring points yet either.

“I'm a former Marine sniper, I've been married four times. Three of those marriages ended in divorce because I hadn't gotten over the murders of my first wife and our daughter.” Now Gibbs took more of a gulp than a sip from his jar.

“I don't know what to say to that,” Lia admitted. She was still trying to process all that he had just shared.

“You don't have to say anything. I was just evening out the scoreboard. Now you just as much about me as I know about you.” Gibbs downed the rest of his drink before pushing away from the workbench and walking to the boat. His back to her, he took a seat on a stool, picked up a piece of sandpaper and began to smooth out the wood on the side of the hull. “Come join me, sweetheart.”

Lia threw back the last (large) gulp of whiskey in her jar, set it down and gracefully hopped off the workbench. She walked to his side but she declined his invitation to sit between his legs on the stool. Something he said finally registered. “Wait. You said earlier that you want to be more than friends but you also said you've been divorced three times. I have no interest in applying for the job of ex-wife number four.”

“I'm not askin' you to, darlin.'” Gibbs chuckled. “I'm not the same man that those three ex-wives were married to. I'm older; wiser now. I know not to go chasing marriage to fill a void left by someone else. I also know when I'm drawn to a woman without knowing the reason why, when I seek that woman out for her company because I enjoy it, not need it, I know not to let that slip by me. It's only ever happened to me twice. The first time ended in a happy marriage and a beautiful kid. Maybe lightening's striking twice, who knows?”

That did it for her. Lia walked directly into his arms and did something very unlike her...she kissed him.


	6. Lia

“Do you like what you do,” Jethro asked as he guided Lia's hand. He was showing her how to sand the wood on the hull of the boat while he stood behind her, pressed as close to her as he could. Too close to be considered decent. Lia loved it.

“I like producing and writing more than I like acting,” she admitted. “I'm only good at acting because I've been doing it my whole life. For a long time, I didn't know how to do anything else. I actually had to study to and work hard to be a good writer and producer. I feel like I earned those credits.”

“Why start acting again than?” Lia could feel his warm breath on her neck and it gave her goosebumps. “Seems like you were doing just fine behind the scenes from the little I read. Why bring your old show back?”

Lia stopped sanding and put the square piece of sandpaper on top of the workbench beside them before turning around in Gibbs' arms to face him. “I'm trying to prove something...to who I'm not exactly sure yet.”

“Now I'm really curious, darlin',” Gibbs brushed some hair out of her face so he could see her clearly. 

“The last time I spoke to my mom she told me that I'd be nothing as an actress without her there to guide me. I'm not sure if I'm trying to prove to her that I can do it or myself.” Lia chuckled nervously. “That was probably way longer of an answer than you were looking for...more of a buzzkill answer guaranteed.” Her mouth had run away with her and she had been way more open than she was comfortable with.

“I'm tryin' to get to know you, sweetheart,” he leaned down and gave her a soft, quick kiss. “Nothing about that is a buzzkill, I promise.”

“I come with more baggage than United Airlines.” She had already overshared so she might as well put all her cards on the table. “I'm clingy and needy when I'm in a relationship if my ex-boyfriend is to be believed anyway. Currently, I'm freaking out about turning thirty because I'm not married with kids yet, and I do want kids...like three or four. And if your main interest in me is in being with a celebrity, I'm B-rated at best, hate the spotlight, and fully plan on retiring for good from acting when my show ends this time around – ”

Lia didn't get a chance to finish her nervous rant because Gibbs silenced her with a kiss. This kiss, unlike the last, wasn't quick. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, asking for access that she was happy to grant him. He took his time. It was like he was trying to map the inside of her mouth using only his tongue. When he finally pulled away, he smirked at her. “Are you done?”

Rendered almost catatonic by his kiss, Lia could only nod in reply. 

“Good,” he kissed her forehead. He leaned back to look in her eyes. “If we could put our emotional baggage on a scale, I promise you mine would outweigh yours. And I'm a touchy-feely possessive asshole, sweetheart, so be as clingy and needy as you want because I'll like it.” Lia smiled and unconsciously moved a little closer. Gibbs welcomed the closeness, putting his hands on her hips. “And thirty's not old, not by a long shot. You still have time for marriage and babies. I don't have a problem with it if that's where you wanna see this relationship go. And you may not know me very well yet but you know damn well that I don't care what the hell you do for a living. The only thing I have to ask is if I'm really what you want. Are those things you'd want with a man so much older than you?”

Lia wanted to scream, 'Yes, now, please!', but again she only nodded.

“That's settled then,” he kissed her almost as though he was sealing a pact, like a crossroads demon from that 'Supernatural' TV show.

When they parted this time, Lia was able to speak. “If I ask you to take me to bed, will we still be more than friends in the morning?”

She watched as Gibbs' eyes dilated in arousal. Lia was surprised she didn't actually see flames in his eyes. “If I take you to my bed, you belong to me, Lia.”

Ohhh. That sounded like a delicious threat. “Will you belong to me too?”

“Every last part of me,” he nodded.

“Than what exactly are we waiting for?”


	7. Gibbs

Once they had made it to his bedroom, Lia seemed to lose the little bit of sexual bravado that she had displayed down in Gibbs' basement. As he closed the door, she stood at the foot of his bed nervously twisting her hands together. She wasn't ready for this, not yet. She was only doing it because she thought it was what he wanted from her.

Gibbs walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. “You know, when I said you were mine if I took you to bed...there was never any stipulation that we had to anything other than sleep.”

Lia's eyes darted to meet his. She was clearly surprised by this turn of events. “Really?”

“Really,” he leaned down and softly kissed her. “How about I get you one of my t-shirts to sleep in?”

She nodded and the blinding smile she gave him was all the reward he'd ever need for momentarily taking sex off of the table. There was just something about Lia. Like Shannon before her, there was just more life and sparkle to her even though the two of them were vastly different women, they didn't even look alike. For the first time, one of the reasons he was attracted to a woman was because she was beautiful and didn't look like his late first wife.

“Thanks for this, Jethro,” Lia whispered to him as she lay cuddled up against his chest in bed.

“If we end up working out the way that I want us to, we'll more than make up for the sex that we aren't having tonight. It's worth it. You're worth it.” He kissed her forehead and held her a little tighter.

“I've never had a man say that to me before.” Lia's whisper was more than a little sad. 

“You've been dating idiots, darlin'. Any fool could see that you're the exact definition of the girl you bring home to meet your parents.”

Lia didn't respond with words. Instead, she tilted her head up and sweetly kissed his chin.

“Do you have to work tomorrow, sweetheart?” He decided to lighten up the topic of conversation. 

“Yeah, we film the show on Friday nights. I have to be there in the morning for a final run-through of the script and dress rehearsals.”

“I gotta work tomorrow too. Why don't I set the alarm an hour earlier? That way I can take you by your place to get changed and pack a bag for the weekend.” He set the trap and waited for her to take the bait.

Lia picked her head up to look at him as best as she could in the dark. The look on her pretty face was confused. “I have my own car, Jethro. You don't need to drive me to the studio. And what is all this about packing a bag and the weekend?”

Gibbs chuckled huskily. “We work at the same Navy yard, sweetheart. There's really no point in taking two cars. It's a waste of perfectly good gas. And I want you to pack a bag because I want you to spend the weekend here with me. That is, only if you want to. And nothing's expected of you beyond your company.”

“I'd love that,” he could see the shy smile she wore and he found it endearing. Here was a woman who had been famous since she was just a kid and yet the simplest acts of affection brought out a bright happiness in Lia. While he found her behavior adorable, it also pissed him off. Affection made Lia so happy because she obviously hadn't been shown much of it in her life. Her mother, her unknown father, and her jackass ex-boyfriend had all failed her when her heart had been their responsibility. Gibbs made a silent promise to not be one of the people added to the list of people who had let Lia down. For the first time since Shannon, he was all in with a woman.

“I'd love that too,” he kissed her quickly. “Now get some rest, sweetheart. We're getting' up early in the morning.”

With a happy little sigh, Lia laid her head back down on his chest. If it was even possible, she cuddled into him even closer than before.


	8. Lia

Lia was humming to herself as she walked into the makeup trailer. 

“What's got you acting so chipper this morning?” Amelia was the only other cast member in the room. She was dressed in a red silk kimono and sat in one of the chairs that faced the mirror. With their budget being so little and no extra room indoors, they were stuck with a drafty little trailer that Lia was pretty sure was left over from the days of ' _I Love Lucy_.'

“Something went right in my personal life for a chance,” Lia responded as she took a seat in the chair next to her TV mom.

Amelia turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “Details, darling.”

The only other person in the trailer was the show's makeup artist, Burke. Lia knew he was good at keeping his mouth shut. He had been with them since the show's first run and no cast secrets had ever left his lips. It was safe to talk around him. “His name's Jethro, he's older than me, and he works here at the yard as an NCIS agent. We spent last night together and not in the naughty way.” She knew if she didn't add that last part she would never hear the end of it from Amelia. The older woman might have been born and bred in Hollywood but she could be kind of a prude sometimes. 

“How much older,” Burke inquired. He was never one to stay out of conversations but that was something that Lia loved about him. If she ever needed to talk he was always more than ready to listen. 

“Twenty years.”

Burke put his hands on his hips. “Are you sure you two didn't get busy last night because he can't anymore?”

“Burke, you're horrible,” Lia laughed and shook her head. “We didn't have sex last night because I'm not ready yet and Jethro doesn't us messing up a good thing by doing it before I am.”

“Okay,” Amelia nodded. “I'm liking the sound of this Jethro guy. After what you went through with Easton you need someone mature that you can trust.”

Amelia had never forgiven Easton for cheating on Lia and breaking her heart. She had gone so far as to use her Hollywood clout to have her musician ex-boyfriend blacklisted from the television industry. No guest starring roles on any scripted shows were headed his way so long as Amelia was alive.

“How'd you meet him,” Burke asked as he started mixing the makeup he would use to paint on their tattoos.

“We met at the little shop over on Elm Street when me and Kim were getting coffee yesterday,” Lia responded as she rolled up her sleeves so Burke could get to work.

“Well, sweetpea, just go slow. Don't let your anxieties get the best of you,” Amelia advised. 

Lia really hoped that she was going to be able to take her mentor's advice.


	9. Gibbs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Yes, I paraphrased a line from Netflix show 'The Ranch.' I don't own it. 

Unknown to Lia, Gibbs, with no pressing cases on his plate had surprised DiNozzo and agreed to go with him to watch the taping of 'Kutte Out For Family.' He hoped she wouldn't mind. He focused his attention on the sound stage once the lights had dimmed. 

_********* _   
_When the director yelled. 'ACTION.” Lia descended the stairs to answer a ringing doorbell._

_“Are you Liam Rodgers mother?” An actor dressed as a police officer held the actor who played Liam by the back of his jacket._

_“Depends,” Lia eyed the cop wearily. “What did he do now and how much is it going to cost me?”_

*****  
 _“You and your dad need to just leave, Arthur.” Lia had tears so real in her eyes that Gibbs was resisting the urge to storm the stage and knock out the blonde actor who was playing her deadbeat ex-actor. “All you care about is your patch and your club. Me and Liam don't need you. I have my family, Daddy's club, and I have the world's most awesome kid that you'll never be lucky enough to know. It's your damn loss.”_

_The curly haired man that Gibbs remembered from the coffee shop suddenly appeared beside the faux ex-couple and grabbed the pocket knife off of the picnic table they were standing beside. “Don't mind me, son. I'm just removing all potential murder weapons. Baby Girl always did have a nasty temper.”_

_*********_  
When the show wrapped filming, Gibbs sent Lia a text message to meet him in the parking lot. “Alright,  DiNozzo, I'm takin' off,” he slapped the younger man on the shoulder. 

“Okay, boss.” DiNozzo wasn't paying him any attention. He was trying to catch the eye of the actress who played Lia's older sister on the show. 

Fifteen minutes later, Gibbs was leaning against the passenger side door of his car, waiting, when Lia finally appeared. The heavy makeup and fake tattoos and fingernails were now gone and his pretty little country girl was back.

Lia smiled when she saw him and Gibbs opened his arms in invitation. “Great how tonight, sweetheart.”

She went into his arms and hugged him snugly, her face against his chest. “I thought that was you in the audience.” She looked up at him and smiled. Gibbs couldn't resist dropping a kiss to her lips. “My friend. Charlie, the guy who plays my ex-husband, is convinced you were looking at him like you wanted to kill him.”

Gibbs chuckled and squeezed her waist. “I don't like seeing anyone mistreat you, even if it is only acting.”

Lia's eyes filled with moisture but no tears fell as she gave him a shaky smile. “I could fall in love with you so easily, Jethro. It really scares me.”

Gibbs brought a hand up to stroke her cheek, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. “I feel the same way about you. Sweetheart...although the thought of loving you doesn't scare me for a second. I've already told you, you're the type of woman any half smart man would want to keep and I know how damn lucky I am that you've agreed to be mine. I'd never purposefully hurt you and I'd NEVER cheat on you.”

Lia didn't respond verbally, she simply leaned up for another kiss.

Gibbs kissed her forehead when they parted. “Now, we're both off for the weekend so how about I take you home, cook you dinner, and then we spend the rest of the night watching TV and drinking bourbon?”

“Sounds like my kind of heaven,” Lia smiled.


	10. Lia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own 'Smokey and the Bandit', that movie came out over a decade before I was even thought of let alone born. I was just in the process of mourning Burt Reynolds when I wrote this chapter...and Gibbs seems like the type of old-school guy that would like that movie.

_"You've heard the legend of Jesse James_  
_And John Henry, just to mention some names._  
 _But there's a truck driving legend in the south today,_  
 _A man called Bandit from Atlanta, GA._

  
_Every gear jammer knows his name._  
_They swear he's got ice water runnin' in his veins._  
 _A foot like lead,_  
 _And nerves like steel,_  
 _He's goin' up to glory ridin' 18 wheels."_

_ **-Jerry Reed (Snowman), The Legend** _

 

  
**_Rest in peace, Burt Reynolds. 'Fast and the Furious' fans thank you for creating a genre that continues to this day. Yep, that's right, youngins. If we hadn't had Bandit we never would have had F &F._ **

**************************

_  
*** "Atlanta to Texarkana and back in twenty-eight hours? That ain't never been done before. Not in no rig."_

  
_"That's 'cause we ain't never done it."_

_  
"Suppose we don't make it?"_

_  
"Hey, we ain't never not made it before, have we?" ***_

  
Lia laughed as she sat curled up against Jethro's side with a tumbler of bourbon in her as they watched 'Smokey and the Bandit' on the TCM network. "It goes to show how country I am that I completely understood that and didn't need to think about it."

  
Jethro chuckled. "The only bad thing about this movie is that anyone would risk getting locked up to smuggle Coors beer across state lines."

  
"That shit tastes like piss." Lia took another sip of her drink.

  
_*** "No, Bandit! Not this time! Cledus is not goin' with you! He got in enough trouble last time. Dammit, Bandit, look at me when I'm talking to you!"_

  
_"I find it hard to look at you, Waynette. With all those curlers in your hair, you look like you're tryin' to pick up a radio station in Savannah." ***_

  
Lia started giggling and it took her a moment or two to stop.

  
Jethro looked down at her in amusement. "Sweetheart, are you drunk?"

  
"A little bit," Lia giggled some more and nodded. "How strong is this stuff?" She looked down at her glass and swished the contents around.

  
"97 proof."

  
That explained the intoxication. She had had three glasses of the stuff. She was mostly a beer drinker. On the rare occasion she drank hard liquor, it was usually Zachariah Harris whiskey. That was only 80 proof and she almost always stopped at one drink.

  
Lia leaned her head back against the sofa. "I'm usually more of a PBR girl. This shit's hitting me hard."

  
Jethro's arm tightened around her shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. "It's also making you curse better than any Marine or sailor I've ever met." He sounded incredibly amused.

  
"I'm cursing?" Lia hadn't been aware that she was. She wasn't much for cursing normally.

  
_*** "Breaker, breaker for the Bandit."_

  
_"Come one back, breaker."_

  
_"You got trouble comin', big trouble."_

  
_"Well, what's your handle, son, and what's your 20?"_

  
_"My handle is Smokey Bear and I'm tail grabbin' your ass right now!" ***_

  
Lia started laughing so hard that Jethro had to take her drink away so that she didn't spill it. He set his drink next to hers on the coffee table and got to his feet. "Come on, sweetheart." He held out his hand. "I think you need to sleep it off."

  
Lia accepted his hand but the moment she got to her feet, they felt like lead. She stumbled and Jethro had to catch her.

"Yep," he chuckled and kissed her cheek before picking her up in his arms, "bedtime for you."

 


End file.
